Ad-hoc testing

We have lot of other testing formats and techniques but adding to that we have another technique called the Ad-hoc testing. Most of us have heard of the word ad-hoc, but how it is related to testing?

Ad-hoc testing is not like other formal testing its totally an informal technique where the sequence of activities followed in other testing method is not followed correctly. Also It does not use any formal techniques to design test cases such as BVA, Equivalence Partitioning etc.,

After a number of planned test cases are executed, a rough testing will be done to check if the system or the software is working as per the functions and all specifications are met. Here the system will be operated without any SRS document and Functional specifications. It’s more of a new person perspective in terms of using the software. The testing process of testing a system without any formal procedure can be termed as ad hoc testing.

This method is applicable for all phases of testing. Very useful in finding defects that got missed at various levels of testing.

Various methods are followed to do Ad-hoc testing such as,

1. Buddy Testing
2. Pair Testing
3. Defect Seeding
4. Exploratory Testing

Buddy Testing

A developer and Tester are formed as buddies so that they can help each other mutually working a single aim of finding the defects.

Here the developer helps the tester to know how the program or the unit works so that he can do tests effectively in the mean time the defects can be rectified then and there without any delay. Usually buddy testing is normally done at the unit test phase where the testing and coding activity are done together.

Pair Testing

In this approach two testers will work as a team and will help each other in terms of their own views and ideas. Here lot of knowledge sharing and experience sharing will happen in order to test the application effectively. It is most likely that helping out each other with their own ideologies this will result in uncovering of defects which were not identified in the past during other test techniques.

Defect Seeding

This method is like playing hide and seek with defects. One group of the project will inject the defects into the program and another team will try to uncover it and rectify it. The concept behind this is that the injected defects may help to identify the unidentified defects.

Exploratory testing

This we have covered in detail in the other chapter.